Mulkey's tirade on officiating draws ban

Updated 10:23 pm, Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Kim Mulkey was suspended for her next NCAA tournament game for criticizing officials.

Kim Mulkey was suspended for her next NCAA tournament game for criticizing officials.

Mulkey's tirade on officiating draws ban

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Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey will be suspended for her next NCAA tournament game stemming from postgame comments about officiating after the Lady Bears' season-ending loss to Louisville on March 31.

It is an unprecedented penalty that Division I women's basketball committee chair Carolayne Henry told CBSSports.com was “unanimous.”

Mulkey and the school did not make a public statement about Tuesday's announcement.

But Mulkey had plenty to say when she blistered game officials after two calls that were critical in the top-seeded Lady Bears' 82-81 loss to the Cardinals.

“I'll be glad to answer any referee question you want to ask me, because I don't mind getting fined, so ask me. Now is the time to ask me, OK?” Mulkey told reporters after the game.

The most notable one was an offensive foul call with 40 seconds remaining that allowed the Cardinals to maintain their lead and eventually upset the Lady Bears, who came into the tournament as the heavy favorite to repeat as NCAA champions after winning 74 of their previous 75 games.

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The Baylor coach angrily tore her blazer off and stormed toward the officials in protest after that call. She did not receive a technical foul.

But Mulkey carried it to a new level after the game when she angrily criticized Louisville's physical defense against Baylor All-American Brittney Griner.

When asked about officiating, Mulkey didn't hold back her comments.

“I thought the game started out way too physical, way too physical,” she said. “I thought that all three of them (the officials), if they go past this round of officiating, it will be sad for the game.”

Mulkey has been a frequent critic of officiating in NCAA tournament games and was previously reprimanded by the committee after the 2011 championship.

“The (committee) noted this is the latest misconduct act by Mulkey during the past several championships and believes a more stringent penalty is appropriate to prevent these actions from continuing,” the NCAA said in a press release.

The NCAA also announced that it will withhold Baylor's “per diem” reimbursement for the Lady Bears' trip to the regionals.

The suspension will follow Mulkey — who won national titles with the Lady Bears in 2005 and 2012 — whether her next NCAA tournament appeareance comes at Baylor or another school.

The penalty may seem excessive, but the gap between the very best teams in women's basketball and the teams at the bottom of the tournament bracket has never been more pronounced. Baylor has won its past three NCAA first-round tournament games by an average margin of 39.6 points, including an 82-40 victory over Prairie View A&M in last season's tournament.